HockeyTV adds European ice hockey rights in deal with Spring Media

HockeyTV, the subscription streaming arm of the ice hockey technology and analytics company HockeyTech, has acquired exclusive rights in North America to top-tier ice hockey leagues in four European countries from the Spring Media agency.

The rights agreement, which was announced today (Tuesday), will allow HockeyTV to broadcast matches from the Czech Republic’s Tipsport Extraliga, Slovakia’s Tipsport Liga, Latvia’s Optibet Liga and France’s Ligue Magnus. Rights to France’s second-tier Division 1 are also included.

The live and on-demand rights agreement will add around 1,500 matches to HockeyTV’s portfolio. The 2019-20 editions of the different leagues were cut short because of the outbreak of Covid-19.

HockeyTV holds rights to over 50 leagues but has been hit by the Covid-19 shutdown that has curtailed various seasons.

The American Hockey League, the National Hockey League’s top minor league affiliate and one of the main draws on HockeyTV, this week cancelled the remainder of the 2019-20 season, including the playoffs. The Southern Professional Hockey League, another property broadcast by HockeyTV, was cut short in March before the planned end to the 2019-20 season.

HockeyTech chief executive Stu Siegel said: “While we have broadcast many European games on HockeyTV on behalf of USA Hockey and Hockey Canada, this is the first time we will be streaming full seasons for European professional hockey leagues.”

Tobias Osmund, Spring Media’s chief executive, added: “HockeyTech has an impressive track record when it comes to ice hockey leagues live streaming in North America and we believe they will be the perfect partner in the region to reach a new audience and offer top professional ice hockey action to the fans.”

Ice hockey fans will be able to watch the matches by subscribing to a monthly or annual plan at HockeyTV.com or via the Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, iOS and Android apps.

The slew of media-rights deals agreed for the Korean K League ahead of its recent restart did not generate large revenues for international distributor Sportradar. But the league hopes to capitalise, in the years to come, on the boost to its profile, as one of the first competitions to restart after Covid-19-related shutdowns.

Related News

Hockey Canada has announced a long-term media-rights agreement with Canadian broadcasters TSN and RDS which extends through the 2033-34 season, continuing their long-standing partnership that dates back…

SportBusiness has a strict internal policy governing the collection, analysis and cleansing of data. This involves the application of a proprietary set of rigorous data standards, with vetting by trusted experts to ensure unparalleled data quality and accuracy.